The Ex in the Aisle
by bailey80
Summary: Booth and Brennan run into one of his old girlfriends while Christmas shopping. My entry for the Bones Secret Santa challenge.


Author's Note:  
><em><br>This is my submission for the __Bones__Secret Santa challenge. My recipient is sunsetdreamer and her prompt was to write Booth and Brennan in an established relationship. There had to be Christmas shopping and an ex involved. _

_I hope you like your story. It's cute, fluffy, totally K (sorry no smut) and hopefully somewhat what you were wishing for. Thanks to someonetookmyname for the beta job._

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><p>"Hey Bones, look." Booth grabbed three bright red Santa Claus hats off a shelf and placed one of them on his head. "These will look great for our picture."<p>

"I don't want to wear one of those Booth."

"Ah, come on, you have to. You promised we could take a family photo in front of the tree. And where I come from, the cornier the picture, the better."

Booth had fond memories of family pictures gathered by the Christmas tree. His mother loved dressing him and Jared in brightly colored, kitchy clothing complete with reindeer antlers. Every year she came up with a new theme and though at the time he said he hated their yearly photo sessions, it had become one of his most cherished memories after she was gone.

He had always tried to take a picture of Parker in front of the tree, but this year it all seemed even more real to him. This would be the first year that he truly felt that he had a family. He couldn't wait to put their picture on a card and send it to all his friends. Booth could already imagine Jared's reaction when he was faced with physical proof of Brennan's impending motherhood.

Of course Brennan was also the only thing currently standing in way of his goal.

"Yes, but I did not agree to wear a head ornament."

"We'll talk about it later. You know, I should go ahead and buy an entire Santa suit to wear for our daughter next year. I bet they'll be on sale right after the holiday."

"Booth, you know that I am currently undecided on if we will be subjecting our child to the Santa myth."

"Bones," Booth said as he quickly moved to block her voice from that of a passing child. "Little ears." He added, "Sorry," as he heard the child asking his mother what a myth was.

"Booth, you are the one who keeps saying that we have to keep one another in the loot when it comes to the baby."

"In the loop. But, there will be no compromise on this subject Bones. She will believe in Santa. For at least six years. Catholic christening, weekly mass, sports, those cute little head bands that you hate; they're all up for debate. But not Santa, I refuse to give in on Santa."

"Fine. But I will not help you perpetuate the lie."

"Seriously?" The unfortunate mother who's son had just overheard Brennan's anti-Santa rant for a second time called out.

"Are you lying about Santa, Mama?" came a small voice from the lady's shopping cart. Booth gave her an apologetic look and steered Bones in the opposite direction.

"Let's go look over here." He guided her toward a section of jogging strollers.

"I need to go to the restroom. Our daughter seems to be jumping on my bladder today."

Booth took over steering their cart as she walked away, "Just stay away from that mother and her son, okay?"

He picked up a package of bibs and wondered if Bones would think a bib bearing the moniker, "Daddy's Slobber Monster" would be inappropriate. Deciding she would argue that the baby belonged to both of them, not just him, could not help it if she had excessive amounts of saliva and that they should never refer to their child as a monster, he quickly put the bibs aside. He was just turning his attention to the pacifier selection when he heard his name being called from across the aisle.

Booth froze as he recognized the voice. He hoped she would turn and walk away but it was too late. He smiled in spite of himself as she walked toward him, her blonde hair bouncing with her steps. He wasn't the same broken man that she had left standing on that bridge last year. No, quite a bit had changed since then. Facing her again, he needed her to know how happy he was now.

By the look on her face it seemed that her keen reporter instincts had already picked up on the changes. Or rather on where he was standing in this crowded shopping center and the contents of his cart.

"What are you doing in the baby aisle, Seeley?"

_"After you left I realized I was a damn fool for ever being with you, ran straight into Bones' arms and we're expecting our first child next month."_

Well, that's what he really wanted to say. He went with, "I could ask you the same thing."

"My friend Lucy is having a baby shower later today and I'm being forced to go."

He surprised himself by being relieved that she wasn't expecting her own little miracle.

They shared a moment of awkward silence while she waited on him to speak. When she realized that he was only going to stare at his feet she spoke again. "So, how have you been?"

"I've been good. How about you?" Booth hated small talk but he couldn't deny that he did have some interest in where life had taken Hannah since she'd moved out of his apartment. This was a woman with who he had shared at least a small part of his life. This was a woman he had been in love with. This was a woman that he had broken his best friend's heart for. Yes, it was perfectly normal for him to wonder what had happened to her.

"I'm still traveling with the president. I had an offer to go back to Afghanistan but my time with you made me realize that I missed being in the states. Are you still working with Temperance?"

The mere sound of her name made his face light up and Hannah picked up on the change in his demeanor. "Yea, always."

"I'm glad that our relationship didn't change things between the two of you. I know that you were very close. I was afraid that maybe I had damaged that."

Booth snorted, "You didn't need to worry about that. Me and Bones are good, you weren't going to change that."

"You're with her now, aren't you?"

"Yea," after he answered he realized how it might sound to Hannah. "I was never unfaithful to you. But I always loved her."

"I know," she smiled as she studied the items in his cart. There were bibs, bottles and tiny socks. Without either of them speaking, she knew what that implied. "I really do need to get to that shower now. I'm running late. As usual."

"Yeah, okay, it was nice seeing you Hannah."

"It was nice seeing you too. Tell Temperance I said hello."

She turned to leave but some invisible force propelled her back. She took two quick steps to close the gap between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. Laying her head on his shoulder briefly as he returned the hug, neither of them heard footsteps approaching.

"Hannah?" Brennan's voice sounded shocked.

Booth jumped away from his ex-lover as if someone had shot at him. "Bones."

"Hi Temperance."

"Hello." Booth couldn't read her voice, and knowing that the pregnancy hormones had been messing with her brain he prayed that she didn't read too much into the hug she had just witnessed.

"I have to go, I'm late. But it was nice seeing you." Hannah couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from Brennan's large belly and pointed to it as she said, "Congratulations." Then she smiled and waved as she turned to leave. She was gone before Brennan could thank her.

"Bones, it's not what you think."

"What do I think Booth?"

"That something happened here. It didn't. She asked me if you and I were together, she saw what was in the cart and she figured it out. Then she hugged me. That's all."

"It's okay Booth, I know."

"You do?"

"I know that you'd never be unfaithful to me. You don't have to worry about that."

Booth smiled and pulled her into his side, "Yeah, what has you so convinced?"

"Remember when you were with her and I told you that I was ready for us to be together?"

"Yeah." How could he ever forget?

"Before then, I knew that you loved me. You told me that. And shortly after that you said that a person can love lots of people but they can only love one person the most. I knew that you meant me. But even though I was telling you that I wanted to be with you that night, you stayed with her. You loved me the most but you had made a commitment to her. And you wouldn't cheat on her, not even with me. I know that you will always love me the most Booth. And if you wouldn't break a promise for me then you'll never break your promise to me."

"I love it when you talk squinty and rational about our personal life Bones," Booth said as he kissed her on the cheek.

Seeing Booth in the arms of the woman who had almost taken everything away from them made Brennan remember why she had to do everything possible to make their relationship work. And she knew exactly what she could do now to reassure Booth that they were going to be fine.

Brennan took one of the Santa hats from his hands and fixed it on her head, "Come on, lets go get Parker and take the traditional mazey picture in front of our plastic tree."

"Corny Bones. Our corny picture."

"That's what I said."

"Will you wear one of those shirts that light up?"

"Don't push your luck, Booth."


End file.
